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United Airlines has canceled Sunday's planned flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Tel Aviv following the latest turmoil in the Middle East, the airlines said in an emailed statement to Reuters. On Saturday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said it launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel.<br/>

German airline group Lufthansa said on Sunday it was suspending flights to Amman, Erbil and Tel Aviv until Tuesday and flights to Beirut and Tehran until the Thursday at least following the latest violence in the Middle East. The group, which includes the German flagship carrier as well as Swiss and Austrian airlines, said in a statement that it was continuously evaluating the security situation in the Middle East and in close contact with authorities. The company had already said on Friday it was suspending flights to and from Tehran until April 18 and would not use Iranian airspace during that time.<br/>

Austrian Airlines, the last west European airline flying to Iran, said it was suspending all flights from Vienna to Tehran until April 18 in response to escalating tensions in the region. Austria had continued flying for longer than its German parent Lufthansa since Vienna's closer proximity to Tehran meant it could more easily abort flights or be forced to leave staff in Tehran overnight. Earlier on Friday, Austria's foreign ministry followed Germany in urging its citizens to leave Iran. "Routes that pass through Iranian air space will also be modified," Austrian Airlines said. "The safety of our passengers and crews have highest priority."<br/>

Turkish Airlines (THY) and Pegasus Airlines have canceled their flights to Iran, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon scheduled for late on April 13 and April 14 for security reasons in the wake of Iran’s retaliatory missile strike against Israel. In their statements, the airlines noted that not only were the planned flights canceled, but also the planes en route to these four countries were diverted back to Istanbul. Various carriers’ departures from Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport bound for Iran and Iraq joined annulments, with some aircraft redirected to airports in the country’s eastern provinces of Erzurum, Diyarbakır and Elazığ. The airlines have not made any announcement regarding the extension of flight cancellations. Meanwhile, Iraq reopened its airspace on April 14 hours after suspending all air traffic as neighboring Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel. Jordan, which neighbors Iraq as well as Israel, and Lebanon also reopened their respective airspace having earlier closed them.<br/>

EgyptAir announces the resumption of flights to and from various airports in Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon, following the reopening of airspace for air traffic in the mentioned countries. Egypt has announced the suspension of its flights to Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon due to the closure of airspace in these countries, announced the state-owned company EgyptAir in a statement on April 13. Iran announced that it has launched "extensive retaliatory drone strikes" against Israel, while Middle Eastern countries including Iraq and Jordan closed their aerospace and suspended air aviation. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced on Saturday that it launched drones against Tel Aviv in response to the Israeli attack against the Iranian diplomatic mission in Syria’s Damascus on April 1. Furthermore, Jordan declared a state of emergency following the Iranian attack on Israel. Meanwhile, Iraqi aerospace closed and air aviation stopped, stated the Iraqi Nes Agency (INA). Also, Lebanon has announced the temporary closure of its airspace from 1:00 A.M. to 7:00 A.M. on Sunday. Rafic Al Hariri Airport will be closed during this period due to the heightened tensions in the region.<br/>

Singapore Airlines (SIA) and budget carrier Scoot have stopped flying over Iranian airspace, after Iran on April 13 launched its first direct attack on Israeli territory. The Israeli military said Iran has fired more than 300 drones and missiles at Tel Aviv since April 13. A spokesperson for SIA told The Straits Times that as a precaution, both SIA and Scoot have been using alternative flight paths since 1pm Singapore time on April 13. The SIA Group said its top priority is the safety of customers and its employees. “We are closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East, and we will adjust our flight paths as needed,” the spokesperson said. Responding to ST’s queries, the spokesperson said all SIA flights operating between Singapore and 14 destinations have been affected by the changes in flight paths. They are: Amsterdam, Brussels, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, New York (JFK), New York (Newark), Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris, Rome and Zurich. All Scoot flights operating between Singapore and Athens are also affected. “Some flights may take slightly longer than usual,” said the spokesperson, who apologised for any inconvenience caused. A spokesman for Changi Airport Group (CAG) told ST that those travelling should check with their airlines to see if their flights are affected. The CAG spokesman said: “Other than the departure of TK169, which was delayed for about four hours, we have not observed any significant delays to arrival and departure flights today.”<br/>

Air New Zealand and fellow trans-Tasman carrier Qantas have among the biggest average price differences between economy and business class tickets in the world, a new study has found. Analysing price data from 33 of the world’s biggest airlines, European holiday rental company Holidu found that business class tickets are 250% more expensive on average than economy tickets. To determine this, the company calculated the average prices of economy and business tickets from a sample of short-, medium- and long-haul flights on the same day. They then ranked airlines according to the average discrepancies between business and economy fares. Three of the four airlines said to have the smallest difference between economy and business fares hailed from Asia. Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) came out on top with business fares costing 82% more on average than economy fares. The research highlighted a flight from Tokyo to Seoul which was £823.50 ($1722) for economy, and GBP289 (NZ$604) more for business. Japan Airlines was ranked second, with an average price discrepancy of 94%, and was followed by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines with 120% and Algeria’s Air Algerie with 137%.<br/>